Joysticks heretofore provided for operating computers and video games have used switch-pushing arms extending radially from a control shaft to physically depress mechanical contacts in electric switches at different positions about the shaft. An example of this type of joystick is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,614,847. There is a tendency for the switch pushing arms or the mechanical contacts to break or malfunction after repeated use. An attempt to eliminate mechanical contacts in a joystick disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,489,303 involves the use of Hall effect switches but there are drawbacks to using a magnetic field in association with computers and video games.
Other types of joysticks such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,445,541, 4,533,827, 4,538,035 and 4,607,159 produce specific electric control signals to drive a specific type of load but these are not suitable for controlling joystick-operable computers or video games.